Durban - When the Covid-19 pandemic struck and many people lost their jobs, Themba Nzimande was one of them.
But instead of just worrying about himself and where his next meal would come from, Nzimande was more concerned about the children who were living nearby and had no food. The 28-year-old from Umlazi is this week’s Unsung Hero.
He started a feeding scheme at the height of the pandemic and provides meals for children on weekdays. Nzimande begins his day at 6am. “I have to be up early to start preparing the food. The price of gas is expensive so I go collect firewood from the nearby bush. The food needs to be ready by 3pm when the children return from school so they find a hot meal ready and waiting for them,” he said.
Nzimande was a waiter at a restaurant in Durban but was retrenched when the business was affected by Covid-19 restrictions. Unable to find work and having time on his hands, he went to an outreach programme by Hope SA that was being hosted in Umlazi. There, he made connections with the non-governmental organisation and asked for their assistance in getting a feeding scheme going in his area.
Since then, he and his sister, Thandeka Gumede, 24, started to cook meals for the hungry. He later approached a supermarket to assist with donations, which they have been doing since. “When we first started the project, we prepared four pots of food and would go to halls in Umlazi. We used to feed more than 100 people a day. Currently, we cook for 40 children who come to my home.
The meals are given out of my back room at home. We cook different meals depending on what we have with us until our next sponsorship or donation is brought to us,” he said. Meals given to the children consist of soup, pasta and vegetables.
Nzimande said having grown up in Umlazi, he was aware of all the social ills and wished to see change. “There are critical challenges that the community faces, including poverty, unemployment and teenage pregnancy. There are many people going to bed hungry. We are fortunate to be able to cater different meals daily.
I have been lucky enough to be supplied food from Hope SA, the Angels Wings Foundation and Boxer store in Isipingo as I had no source of income,” he said.
With word spreading quickly of the feeding scheme he runs, more people, including the elderly, have started coming to his door. “We often don’t have enough food to feed everyone. The bread runs out and there is nothing else to do but wait for the next hot plate the following day.
It breaks my heart when we have to turn someone away. We have to rely on sponsorship and some seasons are very dry. I am working on applying for land to start farming to help us plant vegetables which we could use in our kitchen going forward.” Namritha Sivsanker, CEO of Hope SA, confirmed their association with Nzimande and said there was nothing that warmed one's heart as much as seeing a young person wanting to give back to their community.
“When I met Themba back in 2020, I could see the vision and willingness he had for his community. We have a warehouse in Jacobs which is where we keep our supplies, so when I saw his plea for assistance and even visited his area I could see there was a need to help out.
We even did a surprise visit just to see how he is working and being able to assist and he proved to us that he is willing to go the extra mile for his community. We supply him with food which could last him for six-plus months, but we keep checking if everything is in order. This young man loves his people and we have had a fruitful journey so far,” she said.
Thoko Sokhela, an elderly person who gets meals from Nzimande, said she was grateful. “We now have a meal to expect every afternoon. May Themba’s initiative grow and may his giving heart take him far in life,” she said.
Shine a light on our unsung heroes
Superheroes don’t always wear capes and fly through the air, but they do walk among us. They are the selfless individuals of all races who go out of their way to make a difference in the lives of others. They raise people up, help improve their lot in life and give them hope and a belief in the future. And they do so with little or no recognition – they never ask for it, driven instead to help others without fuss or fanfare. Ordinary folk who do the extraordinary, who make you proud to be a South African. If you know of such an Unsung Hero, email their name and surname and two contact numbers to tribunenews@inl.co.za with ‘Unsung Hero’ in the subject line so that we can share their amazing stories and give others hope.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE